Eminent Odia and English writer Manoj Das will be conferred with the 2013 Amritakeerti National Award while eminent writer, scholar and orator Prof Thuravoor Viswambharan will be honoured with the Kerala State-level award.
The awards will be bestowed on the two litterateurs in conjunction with the 60th birthday celebrations of internationally acclaimed spiritual and humanitarian leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi during September 25-27.
The announcement was made today by Amritakeerti Puraskar Committee member Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, Vice-Chairman of Mata Amritanandamayi Math.
launched in 2001, the awards are presented annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of spirituality, philosophy, science or literature. The awards carry a cash prize of `1,23,456, a statuette of Goddess Saraswati created by renowned sculptor Namboodiri and a citation from the MAM.